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| The Two Musqueteras on New Year's Eve |
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| The Vision I'm Married to |
2018 was so exhausting that I welcome
the promise of a more a more restful year. My Favorite Panamanian and I decided
to send 2018 off in appropriate fashion and that meant a short, tiring trip to
the far north to celebrate the New Years at the home of the Maine Musquetera. I
put in a half day of work on December 31st and we then hit the road
and the endless tunnel of pine trees that is I-95 in Maine. We arrived shortly
after dark in Waterville in time to help with the last stages of preparation
for the party.
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| The New Jersey Bunch out Celebrating As Well |
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| The was the FBR's Chosen Holiday Garb this Year |
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| Wingman and my Daughter |
New Year’s Eve is a big deal in the
Latin culture and my wife always seeks a way to appropriate celebrate the
event. This was the second time in the last few years we made this trip and the
Maine Musquetera’s circle of friends is always fun to hang out with. The added
bonus was the presence of the Musquetera’s sister and family from our old stomping
grounds in Northern Virginia. Back in the early 1980s we actually introduced
the sister to her future husband who served with me in the Old Guard. They’ve
been together ever since and now have a kid in college.
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| 93 Years Young |
My wife disappeared upstairs shortly
after we arrived to engage in whatever arcane conjurings are required for her
to look twenty years younger than I do. I didn’t see her or the Musquetera
until after guests started arriving. She was, of course, a vision – as she is
wont to do at these type events. The most illustrative comment of the night was
from another party goer who said I looked like a grandfather while my wife did
not look capable of being old enough to be a grandmother. So it goes.
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| Party Cranking Up |
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| Just Before Midnight |
I had a lot of fun conversing with the
Musquetera’s 93 year old mother in law. She was supposed to spend just an hour
at the party before retiring for the night. She ended up staying until midnight
and my wife even had her out on the dance floor for a short spell. We’re
talking Latinas here so you knew there would be dancing.
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| Wife Getting the Musquetera's Motehr in Law Out on Dance Floor |
There was also a delicious meal served
just before midnight – another Hispanic New Year’s Eve tradition. I employed my
Anglo-Saxon prerogative of beer consumption amidst all the flowing sangria for
a memorable and very fun night. We rang in the New Year and I retired around
130am figuring the two musqueteras would engage in one of their patented late
night conversations. I have it on good authority my wife finally came to bed around
4am.
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| A Very Good Time |
We were up at 8 as I planned on a 9am
departure since we had to be back in Worcester by 1pm. The cable company was
coming to install cable in the new addition and 1 January was the only date
they had available. In a major surprise we actually hit the road at 9am despite
the traditional 20 minute departure ceremony where my wife feels the need to
hug everyone there at least three times and start long conversations while I perform
my task of looking POed at the delay.
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| Meanwhile in New Jersey Pee Wee Approved a Christmas Gift Rug |
Overnight about four inches of snow
had fallen but this was Maine, not Virginia, so it was hardly noticed. This is the
direct opposite of last year’s New Years’ Eve weather which we spent at the Panamanian
condo. We re-entered the pine tunnel and with our nearly on time departure I
calculated we could perform a stop and go at my Favorite Son’s house outside Portsmouth
since it was only a few minutes out of the way.
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| Wife and BRS on 1 Jan |
My wife, predictably, made the most of
the very short stop and soon had the BRS laughing uncontrollably while playing
one of their games. The ABFA was out walking Riggins when we drive up
unexpectedly, so that was fun. I was able to pry the BRS out of her abuela’s
arms (the dirty diaper helped in that regard) and get back on the road into time
to make our appointed time in Worcester.
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| They Were Both Very Happy |
Prior to leaving for Maine my wife and
I had somehow carried a huge TV table up the two flights of stairs from the Man
Cave to the new addition. She’s much stronger than she looks as we slid the table
upside down on carpets up the stairs. I don’t know how many more years I’ll be
able to do stupid things like that but it all worked out and the cable box had
an appropriate resting place awaiting it. The new bedroom is rapidly approaching
normalcy with the addition of the new (appropriately huge) television.
We knocked off another movie from the
list I’d wanted but had been unable to see by checking out Bumblebee. I’ve seen
all the Transformers movies understanding going in what was in store. In that
regard this movie surprised me because it had a little bit of depth and a lot
of heart which is due in large part, if not entirely because of the luminous
presence of Hailee Steinfeld. She plays a plucky teenager who finds a broken
down VW bug which turns out to be the venerable Bumblebee of Transformers lore
(I guess at this point there is lore). Her feelings for the huge robot may be a
touch over the top but Steinfeld makes you care which is a true rarity in this
Hasbro inflicted universe. John Cena is around to play the befuddled military
type in some true typecasting but the rest of the supporting cast is invisible
for the most part. I blame Steinfeld. A nice, family appropriate escape.
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RECURRING
CHARACTERS
BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR
- First Blog Reader - first granddaughter, ABFA –
Amazing Best Family Athlete = my daughter in law, formerly known both as MEF – Most Excellent Fiancé
& MEG – Most Excellent Girlfriend; Wingman – my son
in law; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school
from my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great
Aunt = my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend – friend since
grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to
attract women; Pittsburgh College Roommate – high school
friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Deckzilla
– our backyard deck which
grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Maine
and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US
sisters, my wife is the 3rdmusquetera (musketeer); Buddy – AKA
the Wonder Pooch – family dog, a black lab – hates squirrels, died
in 2017; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy,
son's dog, surrogate grandchild while awaiting arrival of the BRS; PanaGals –
female relatives/friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia –
inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived
& their spouses; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close
friend and Panamanian mafia member, Favorite Panamanian - the wife
(of course); First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday
of the Week; Excellent Boss – my former direct boss at
work; Deckzilla Dude – senior
citizen carpenter/contractor; Voices of Inappropriate Worth -
members of public who come to every Worcester public meeting to complain, all
are on public assistance along with demeanor issues
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